The instrument panel is an important part of a motor vehicle because it continuously conveys information to the driver about aspects of the vehicle's operation.
Originally, vehicle instruments (e.g., gauges, dials and warning lights) were purely mechanical and/or analog and fixed in place.
More commonly now, instrument panels are implemented as a form of digital computer screen containing software-implemented graphic manifestations (called “widgets”) of vehicle-related instruments (e.g., speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, etc.) and warnings (e.g., “check engine,” door(s) ajar, low tire pressure, etc.). With this switchover from fixed displays, some vehicle manufacturers now allow drivers to customize the look and layout of their display to some extent, even allowing different drivers of the same vehicle to have display content and layout according to their own preference. This convenience feature is similar to allowing a vehicle to “remember” particular seat, mirror(s) and steering wheel positions for two different drivers, and to recall those saved positions with the touch of a button so that, with some current instrument panels, users can likewise set their preferences so that, for example, one driver can set a preference for the speedometer to be in the center of the panel and not show a tachometer, whereas another user of the same vehicle can have the tachometer displayed in the center and the speedometer off to one side. While this is a convenient advantage, it also inherently creates a problem. Specifically, because users can specify exactly what gauges or information they will normally see, and where they are located, the chosen configuration may, in some cases, prevent them from having information they actually should have. While critical failure information (such as system failures that were commonly previously indicated with warning lights), e.g., “check engine,” low fuel or tire pressure, or a braking system failure, will be displayed irrespective of user setting, that is not true for non-critical, non-failure information that they nevertheless should seen by the driver under certain circumstances.
Such displays can also more easily be obscured by bright light, such as sunlight, impinging on them. Additionally, if the manufacturer allows a driver to change the display content, there is an elaborate process that must be undertaken to do so each time a change is desired, so making temporary changes is annoying and time consuming and even hazardous if such a change is (or can be) attempted while driving.
Thus, the foregoing represents a case where a technological advance on the one hand inherently creates a problem on the other.